Hazar D. Read
Hazar D. Read (ハザル・D・読む Hazaru D. Yomu,) or alternatively known as Hazard Read (危険 読む Kiken Yomu,) is a young pirate who sails as co-captain alongside her ally and friend, Calico Jack, for the Yin/Yang Pirates. Alongside Jack, Read has committed a few crimes against the likes of the World Government such as defeating certain notable Marines and raiding G-18. However, even before becoming a pirate, Read has been a troublemaker due to circumstances outside her control since she was young, and has therefore become blacklisted by the Marines as "Punk Hazard Read," or "Read the Punk." As a pirate, she currently holds a bounty of ???. Aside from her occupation as a pirate, Read is also under the possession of a Devil Fruit power, with hers being the Brr Brr Fruit; a Logia class Devil Fruit that allows Read to become ice, as well as create it from her body and control it at will. Appearance Personality Abilities and Powers Physical Abilities Hand to Hand Combat Devil Fruit Haki History Danger Begins With a D Ties That Bind 19 years ago, after the end of the Great Pirate Era and nearing the end of former Pirate King Luffy's new age, Hazar D. Read was born to a pair of highly experienced pirates. The father, Hazar D. Bio, and his lover and fellow pirate, Hazar D. Ember, had been sailing the seas as retired pirates after the disbandment of their crew, the Red Hair Pirates, which was lead by legendary former Emperor, Shanks. With the crew no longer what it once was due to the loss of their charismatic and devoted captain, Shanks, Bio and Ember attempted to continue a life of piracy with a number of the friends they had made among Shanks' crew. However, as Bio noted himself, with Shanks gone and this new age being what it is, it was becoming harder to continue their life of piracy, thanks to having to constantly adapt to changes going on in the world around them. And so with a heavy heart, the lovers agreed they would finally retire as pirates and live a quiet, secluded life together on some remote island until their eventual death from old age. As years passed, the two pirates ended up giving birth to Read, which they happily accepted as their newest member to their family. The Hazar family's life of peace didn't last long though, as word finally got out of their whereabouts, and with the Marines desperate to stamp out anyone or anything affiliated with the high profile criminals of the past, such as Shanks, Whitebeard, Blackbeard and Dragon, and especially those linked in some way to Luffy (again, such as Shanks and his crew,) the Marines began to march towards the Hazar family's location, whereupon they greeted the family of three with a warrant for the lovers' arrest and execution for their past crimes. The Marines present at the time also declared their motives for dispatching Bio and Ember, with that being HQ and the government couldn't allow anyone familiar with Shanks or Luffy to stay alive and spread their will to a new generation of piracy. The Marines also stated that they had heard claims of the lovers baring a daughter, and so she too would have to be wiped out before she grew into an adult. Upon asking to see the young 3 year old Read so as to arrest the whole family together, Bio responded with complete denial of ever having a daughter, with Ember slowly following his lead, as the parents knew this was the best way to protect Read. In return, the Marines then asked to prove this statement by testing to see if Ember was still a virgin, which in turn angered Bio, provoking him into attacking the Marines, leading to a large scale fight that would ultimately cost Bio and Ember their freedom, and later, their lives. During the unfolding confrontation, it was revealed Read had been spirited off to a close friend of Bio and Ember's, where she would be kept hidden in safety and raised in secret. Read was told why her parents gave her up and just what lead to her current situation, albeit as a small child, it was a bitter pill for Read to swallow. From then on, she would grow up on the open seas, traveling with her foster father until he too would come under attack by the Marines for his years of piracy. To further protect Read, her adoptive parent had no choice but to drive her away in the hopes she'd run off somewhere safe. Now feeling utterly rejected from those she considered family, and with no home to return to thanks to the Marines' constant interventions, Read would begin her new life as a young nomad, traveling from island to island in search of a home and a family so as to end her life of loneliness. The Will of D. Roughly a year or two passed as Read was forced to quickly mature and toughen up; learning how to handle responsibilities and duties most adults would perform out at sea, as well as learning to be tough in the face of adversity, which would later plant the seeds for her blunt and prickly behavior later on in life, as well as her skills in leading the Yin/Yang Pirates alongside Calico Jack. Nearing the end of this year of traveling the seas, Read came across an island she thought could finally be the home she was searching for. Upon landfall, Read slowly began to settle in to her new life, albeit one without a home to live in or a family to give her company. As time went by however, she began making friends with the town's local children, who were later revealed to be orphans like Read. As their relationship grew closer, Read became introduced to the orphans' caretaker, a man who ran the local orphanage in town. And as Read got to know the man and the two started to become close, she would ultimately be accepted into the tight-knit family within the orphanage, albeit much to Read's stubborn refusal at first. In time however, Read grew to accept her surroundings, now that she finally had a roof over her head and had people who cared for her just as much as she cared for them. Many more years passed as Read grew from a small girl into a child on the cusp of puberty; often spending her time causing mischief with the other orphans or getting into fights with children, adults and animals alike. As the years passed, Read's strength and fighting skills grew from the multiple battles she threw herself into, much to her caretaker's misfortune. With the passage of time came increased familiarity between Read and the townsfolk. Upon entering adolescence at the age of 13, Read began noticing some of the older citizens of the town's unusual behavior and reactions towards her. As a child, she was told to not mind them, and was even at times purposefully distracted by her caretaker so she wouldn't notice the looks she started to receive, especially after she began becoming a troublemaker in town. Now that she was older however, Read couldn't help but wonder why she alone was receiving cold stares and dirty looks from some of the town's citizens. Even the children she grew up alongside began to treat her differently over the years, albeit no one ever bothered to explain to her just why they were treating her so differently. Eventually, Read's curiosity and indignation became too much for her, and so she began snooping around and asking her caretaker for any information she could get from him. And like usual, the adults of the town continued to try and keep their feelings a secret to Read, with the orphanage's caretaker usually changing the subject or pretending not to hear Read despite the pained look on his face whenever the two would enter this discussion. It soon got to a point where Read began to feel rejected by the community she grew to care for, thinking it was because she's always been an outsider to them, and that this is why she's been treated differently by certain townsfolk. Hurt by the familiar feelings of rejection she received in her earlier years, Read began acting out in various ways, such as purposefully causing trouble and rebelling against the authority of the town. It soon grew to a point where one night, Read decided she would run away to another island where she could live alone and raise herself without the influence of other people. Just as she was heading to the docks though, Read managed to come across a conversation her caretaker and an elderly woman were having about her. Deciding to eavesdrop behind the corner of a building, Read finally learned the truth of what had been going on for almost 10 years of her life. On one hand, the woman scolded the caretaker for taking in someone with the "Will of D," stating that she and all the other older citizens knew of the danger and catastrophe a D. would bring as they get older and grow into their full potential. As Read listened, she began to understand that this is why she was treated so coldly by certain people, because her middle initial, which she knew nothing about, seemed to cause alarm and fear for the small community. However, in return, the caretaker said he understood the dangers and risk involved in raising a D, but that he trusted Read enough that she wouldn't grow up to become the monster most people thought she would, and that he genuinely thought of her as his own daughter, much like the other children under his care. The caretaker only wanted what was best for Read and wanted her to feel love, acceptance and joy despite the harsh reality surrounding her fate, and so he begged to keep Read's "legacy" a secret, which the woman agreed to, in fear that if Read knew, she would act upon this knowledge and use it for destruction and wicked deeds. Now truly understanding everything that had been going on these past few years, Read retreated to an isolated location on the island where she could collect her thoughts and come to a decision; whether to run away from home or to stay and fight the legacy she was accused of following. Ultimately, she chose to stay in the hopes that the comfort of the orphanage would shield and heal her from the resentment and pain she received from others in town. During her stay, she revealed to the caretaker that she learned the town's secret and why she was treated differently, much to the caretaker's dismay and worry. He in turn apologized for not doing a good enough job of protecting Read from the rejection she must have felt, as well as regretting how even the town's children were being taught to fear Read and thus why some of them teased and bullied her years ago. Read went on to impress the man by simply smiling and forgiving him for being a clumsy father, which proceeded to make the caretaker shed tears and embrace Read in a loving hug, much to her embarrassment. As more time passed, Read's outbursts only got worse. Now showing she knew why she was being treated like a threat, this only encouraged the townsfolk to abuse her further; often telling Read she should go "destroy" some other island, or attempting to drive her away from their homes and places of business with brooms and anything else they could grab a hold of. Eventually, much like Nico Robin and Portgas D. Ace before her, Read's existence began to be treated as nothing less than a sin itself. Despite their best attempts though, Read would only rebel against them more, as she refused to let anyone push her around or break her spirit, and because she knew she could retreat back home and find acceptance there. After a while of causing a ruckus in town, the community eventually grew fed up with both Read and the orphanage for harboring her. Knowing Read used the orphanage as an emotional crutch, and now finally reaching the height of their impatience with the caretaker, some of the younger adults in the community began staging a riot in front of the building; demanding for Read to be deported from the island or else the caretaker would have to face the consequences. Having been out at the time and just about to return home, Read witnessed the rioting going on and rushed back in time to see the caretaker was pleading for the townsfolk to calm themselves and rethink their actions. Read rushed towards the crowd as fast as she could, but appeared to be too late to stop one young man from throwing a stone through one of the orphanage's windows. Upon arrival, Read furiously shouted at everyone to leave or else she'd take cation against them. This in turn angered the rioting crowd, with them responding with threats and demands for Read to leave the island before her legacy as a D. creates untold havoc for all the innocent people living there. As Read kept standing her ground and provoking the townsfolk in return, the caretaker began shouting at her to get away and hide somewhere safe. Read argued against it, stating she wouldn't abandon anyone who stayed by her side. As the intensity of the situation continued to spiral out of control, Read's caretaker and father figure continued to argue against Read attacking the crowd, stating it would only fuel the animosity they have for her. Read in return continued to adamantly refuse to back down, which only made things worse, as the caretaker feared. With the chaos growing into a frenzy, the mob finally lashed out against the orphanage in an attempt to push both the caretaker and Read into making Read leave. With each assault against the building, the damage got worse, which only drove the caretaker to beg with all his might for the townsfolk to stop, believing they were descending into madness over nothing. Read as well was driven beyond her limits at the sight of this, now charging her way into the rowdy mob and assaulting them however she could, resulting in a massive public brawl unfolding. In the end, what resulted was a group of battered, beaten people, and an equally injured, exhausted Read, watching in dismay as her beloved home was now burning to the ground in flames. The caretaker sat next to her, mourning for their loss alongside Read. In the days that followed the madness that engulfed the town, Read was seen walking down the street, still looking fatigued from her fight, and carrying some of what remained of her belongings as she headed for the docks while also trying to avoid detection from those in the town who hated her. Before she could reach a boat she could stow away on, her adoptive father, the caretaker, caught up to her and attempted to dissuade her from leaving; believing that they could rebuild the orphanage and regain everything they lost, and that it could be them and the other orphans living in an uneasy stability again. As Read had one last talk with the man, she pointed out how no matter what happens, she'll always manage to cause trouble wherever she goes because of her being a D, as much as it may upset her. And so to avoid causing pain to her loved ones again, she would have to head out to sea and start a new life once more. The caretaker admitted he was selfish in hoping Read could stay with him, as he blamed himself for not helping her more, and it pained him to see one of the kids he cared for leave, especially in this fashion. Read, like before, smiled warmly at him and forgave him because he was just a clumsy dad. This time, the caretaker broke out into even more tears, now sobbing as he knew Read had made up her mind. As Read turned around to leave, she thanked the caretaker for all the love, help and joy he gave her as her body trembled and a tear she tried to hide fell down her cheek. She asked the caretaker to send her best wishes and love to the other orphans who Read saw as like her siblings, and hoped she could meet everyone again some day. The caretaker agreed to fulfill the promise so long as Read in turn took care of herself while she was gone. Read nodded her head and stated she would, before teasing the caretaker, stating he was underestimating how tough she really was. With all said and done, Read headed for the ship she would sneak onto, and the father and daughter duo finally parted ways, with the caretaker waving goodbye from a distance as he watched Read sail off for wherever her legacy would take her. Read the Punk In the years that followed after Read's painful incident back home, she would simply content herself with borrowing rides off ships and traveling to whatever island they were headed for. Throughout the years, Read dwelt on her painful memories while hardly reaching out to anyone or making any stable relationships with the people she met. And with every island she visited, she always seemed to cause a minor case of trouble, be it in the form of picking fights with citizens, bandits, bounty hunters, pirates or Marines, or be it committing minor crimes such as vandalism through fighting, or stealing food and other materials to survive. This delinquent lifestyle Read began cultivating for herself soon gave rise to an alias for her, "the punk." Likewise, to avoid the same problems that happened years ago with the town that shunned her, Read made it a habit to keep her middle initial a secret from the people she interacted with; now altering her full name from Hazar D. Read to Hazard Read. And along her journeys, Read managed to find and unknowingly eat one of the Devil Fruits, with Read now gaining the icy powers of the Logia Brr Brr Fruit. Afterward, Read would hone her powers over the years as she continued to get into fights. When not occupying herself with something else such as eating or interacting with others, and when not in the middle of another skirmish, Read continued to think back on the problems her middle initial caused for her, and just what it all means. One day Read's curiosity, as well as her resentment for being born a D, eventually got the best of her, to where she vowed to finally learn the secret of the Will of D. and finally have closure regarding what happened to her in her childhood. With a goal to work towards and a dream to follow, Read began pursuing her new ambition by purposefully attempting to follow any clues she may come across that could unravel the mystery behind the D, and so as a result, her travels became less random and more planned and focused. This lifestyle Read lead would continue for some time to come, as she fought and searched for the meaning behind her existence. Read's life as a solo investigator and sailor would finally change upon the day she met Calico Jack; a young man who would later assist her in starting a new career for Read to follow, the life of a pirate. Trivia *Read's full name is a play on words and a reference to a real life pirate. Firstly, much like with Gol D. Roger, when one combines Read's surname with her middle initial, "Hazar D," the two become "Hazard." In turn, when this is combined with Read's epithet as "the Punk," the two then become "Punk Hazard." This is a direct reference to the location in One Piece known as Punk Hazard, which was intentionally emphasized due to how Read uses her Devil Fruit and because of her tsundere-like attitude, as both Read and Punk Hazard can run hot and cold in their respective ways. **Read received her first name from the real life figure known as Mary Read, who was famous for being one of the few known female pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy. Going under the guide of "Mark Read" at first, Mary would later join fellow female pirate, Anne Bonny, in joining the crew of pirate captain, John "Calico Jack" Rackham until they were all eventually arrested for their crimes. However, Mary would later avoid execution upon pleading to the court that she was pregnant, and thus had her execution delayed until she gave birth, as there was no justice in killing an innocent unborn baby in the process. Despite her quick thinking, Mary would soon end up dying of a fever in prison nonetheless. Not only was the name, Mary Read, chosen to follow the tradition of characters in One Piece being named after historical real world pirates and sailors, but the name was also given to Hazar D. Read to play off of her co-captain's name, Calico Jack. *The photo(s) being used to represent Read's appearance are that of Ryuko Matoi from the anime, Kill la Kill. All credit goes to the animation studio, Trigger. Category:Humans Category:Female Characters Category:Will of the D. Category:Pirates Category:Captain Category:Yin/Yang Pirates Category:Devil Fruit Users Category:Logia Devil Fruit Users Category:Wyvern 0m3g4 Category:Female Characters